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Crisis, Leadership, and Masculinity: How EU Leaders Visually Construct Authority in Digital Spaces

Adsersen, Nicodemus LU (2025) STVM23 20251
Department of Political Science
Abstract
This thesis explores whether leaders of the European Union adopt more masculine-coded symbols in their online self-representations during times of crisis. It focuses on the illustrative cases of Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, analysing how their Instagram performances in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 differed from their portrayals during a period of relative political stability in 2023. Employing a deductive, longitudinal photo-essay approach, the study applies a visual narrative analysis to examine how the leaders construct masculine leadership through digital imagery. The analysis and discussion follow a four-step layering method: assessing images individually, within their... (More)
This thesis explores whether leaders of the European Union adopt more masculine-coded symbols in their online self-representations during times of crisis. It focuses on the illustrative cases of Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, analysing how their Instagram performances in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 differed from their portrayals during a period of relative political stability in 2023. Employing a deductive, longitudinal photo-essay approach, the study applies a visual narrative analysis to examine how the leaders construct masculine leadership through digital imagery. The analysis and discussion follow a four-step layering method: assessing images individually, within their intertextual context, in relation to broader policy discourse, and through interpretative contestation. The findings show that both von der Leyen and Michel displayed a more pronounced masculine-coded leadership style during the crisis, characterised by visual cues of authority, decisiveness, and combativeness. This performance subsequently receded in the non-crisis period, suggesting that such representations are shaped more by geopolitical context and audience expectations than by inherent traits of EU leadership. The study contributes to debates on political masculinities, online self-representation, and the performative dimensions of EU leadership in turbulent times. (Less)
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author
Adsersen, Nicodemus LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVM23 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Masculine Leadership, EU Leaders, Crisis Management, Online Self-representation, Visual Communication, Political Storytelling
language
English
id
9189434
date added to LUP
2025-08-08 11:37:32
date last changed
2025-08-08 11:37:32
@misc{9189434,
  abstract     = {{This thesis explores whether leaders of the European Union adopt more masculine-coded symbols in their online self-representations during times of crisis. It focuses on the illustrative cases of Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, analysing how their Instagram performances in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 differed from their portrayals during a period of relative political stability in 2023. Employing a deductive, longitudinal photo-essay approach, the study applies a visual narrative analysis to examine how the leaders construct masculine leadership through digital imagery. The analysis and discussion follow a four-step layering method: assessing images individually, within their intertextual context, in relation to broader policy discourse, and through interpretative contestation. The findings show that both von der Leyen and Michel displayed a more pronounced masculine-coded leadership style during the crisis, characterised by visual cues of authority, decisiveness, and combativeness. This performance subsequently receded in the non-crisis period, suggesting that such representations are shaped more by geopolitical context and audience expectations than by inherent traits of EU leadership. The study contributes to debates on political masculinities, online self-representation, and the performative dimensions of EU leadership in turbulent times.}},
  author       = {{Adsersen, Nicodemus}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Crisis, Leadership, and Masculinity: How EU Leaders Visually Construct Authority in Digital Spaces}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}